Welcome to

  Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants

        We're gonna' need a bigger basket....

        Laurel with Jaune Flamme 

          "Life is short, my gardening friends. 

      Let's stop awhile to rake away the rocks and weeds,

        Dig deep into the Earth and dream of a bountiful harvest."

  In Lycopersicon Veritas. ~ Laurel

 

 

Come See The Big List for 2027!

 

 Our Tomato Varieties and How to Order 

 

Order early to reserve your plants -- and especially your shipping time.

 

Order 7 or More Plants and get 15.00 off!

From September 17 to 25th!

 

 

Hawaiian Pineapple, Top Seller for 25 years.

 

 Shipping Costs...

Come See Our New Big List for 2027

Ordering Has Begun!

~ Laurel

310 534 8611  Hours: 10:00 to 6:00 Mon - Fri.

Saturday 10 to 4

 

Blue Chocolate 

 We ship our plants nationwide from Los Angeles in Sunny Southern California. We are here:

1725 257th St. Lomita, CA 90717  310 534 8611

Phone Orders: Call Laurel ~

310 534 8611  Phone Hours: 10:00 to 6:00 Mon - Fri.

Email: tomatoplants@pacbell.net

 

                            

Black Beauty

We are your Southern California source for 75 luscious varieties of organically grown heirloom tomato plants, a few carefully chosen great-tasting hybrids, plus a fine selection of gardening products for your garden beds,  containers and greenhouses.

The 2026 season will mark our 26th year shipping organically grown tomato plants right to your garden. We grow about 24,000 plants right here -- and ship them during spring and summer to all 50 States and US Territories.

My gardening career began in 1954 when I was 4 years old. I dropped a pumpkin seed into Grandma and Grandpa Steven's birdbath in Idyllwild, California.

A few days later Grandma Hazel told me that something wonderful had happened. My seed had sprouted! Teeny green root peeking out! Germination! Wow...

Now I'm 76, almost a grown-up -- and still get a thrill watching a seed pop, become a beautiful little plant which grows bigger and bigger, giving us delicious fruit.

The seeds from those fruits give us teeny plants of the same magical variety and we can grow them year after year! This is the miracle of germination. Seed to seed.

We also have Sunday Plant Sales here at our nursery in Los Angeles every Sunday, 11:00 to 3:00, from March through late July while still in stock.

Questions? Call me! Laurel ~ 310 534 8611 (A landline, no texts.) 10:00 to 5:00 Mon-Fri.

 

Blondkopfchen

If you are not yet on my newsletter list, fun and informative, send your email address to tomatoplants@pacbell.net and I'll include you!

 

Red Mamba

 

 Come Back September 17th to See What We Have For 2027!

 Our Tomato Varieties and How to Order 

 

Order by email or phone.  310 534 8611  Tomatoplants@pacbell.net

Please order early to book your shipping week and reserve your plants.

April and May shipping periods get booked up fast -- and some varieties sell out.

Local gardeners can pre-order to pick up plants here from March through July

Or Come to Fabulous Sunday Pop-Up Plant Sales!

 

A gorgeous BLT with one big slice of a huge Bear Claw tomato.

From Dan Hornbaker in New Jersey

 

    

Come see us on soon on Facebook for the updates, latest news, plant care and events.

I haven't had time to update the Facebook page for a while, but I will! ~ Laurel

 

Some of our babies getting their start in one of our greenhouses.....

 

 

 

 

 

Look how they've grown! Full size plants getting ready to ship...

 

 

 

My customer Dean Saling's 'grandgardeners' harvesting homegrown tomatoes in Kentucky.

 

  Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries

 

Come see our new varieties -- and the old favorites!

    A Map to Our Website   

     Our Tomato Varieties and How to Order

Click the link to see The Big List for 2027 with prices, descriptions and photographs of our varieties of tomatoes for spring and summer along with detailed information for placing your order.

 

IMPORTANT! If you cannot receive Post Office packages on Saturdays please let us know and we will be sure your plants do not arrive on a Saturday!  We are happy to ship to PO Boxes, no problem.

 

Payment Information ...and shipping details (Please read before you order.)

Because plant prices do not include shipping and handling, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with shipping costs before ordering. This important payment & shipping information includes a detailed explanation of shipping and packaging costs and techniques and our guarantee.

 

(Cancellations: Cancellations must be made by direct telephone contact within 48 hours of placing your order to receive a full refund. After 48 hours, refunds will be made less 50% restocking fee.) 

 

Growing Tips and Garden Products Laurel's best growing tips, organic gardening products, SmartPots for your container garden and all organic plant nutrients and pest and disease control. Plus, learn how to easily and successfully grow even the largest tomato plants in containers.

 

Our 2027 On-Site Plant Sale Dates  We do not have a retail store but....

Join us on Sundays from early March through July for our Fabulous Pop-Up Store!

Choose from more than 70 varieties of tomato plants and our selection of fine gardening products including 3 sizes of Smart Pots, organic fertilizers and natural, effective insect and disease control, along potting soil, planting mix and free consultation with Laurel.

 

 

 

Gift Certificates Will This Be a Gift? Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants offers personalized gift certificates for all occasions. Our gift certificates are themselves an elegant gift. You may choose certain varieties, or a certain number of plants or a dollar amount for your recipient's certificate.

My Personal Favorites  

A Photo Gallery of some 'Stranded on a Deserted Island' choices ...a few of Laurel's favorites.

 

 Green Zebra

 

 

 

15" Paul Robeson plant, Laurel's Favorite, in its 4" shipping pot, ready for packaging and shipping to your door, along with a photograph of the fruit.   

 

Heaven at BJ's House. Copyright, BJ Miles 2012

 

A Fred Cook Cornucopia.  Copyright Fred Cook 2011

  

 

 

 

 

Tati's Wedding, one day, one plant.

       

 

                            

                             

Great Big Tomatoes Natural Liquid Compost, The Energy Drink for Tomato Plants.

It's a concentrated liquid compost to give your plants extra growing power, and is, of course, all organic. Use it in addition to your fertilizers.

Great Big Tomatoes has really impressed us in out garden with heartier, stronger stems, healthier lush foliage, bigger, better, yummier tomatoes and extremely healthy soil and our customers concur!

 

You will find it here on the Growing Tips and Garden Product page. Quarts and Gallon size!

 

Get the most from your tomato plants with Great Big Tomatoes!

 

Now in two sizes, one quart and one gallon.  

 

 

 

Growing in Containers?

Use our Smart Pots!

 

 

Go see them here:

Growing Tips and Garden Products

 

 

 

 

 

Here is Oliver W. Holmes guarding his owner Bob Holmes' tomato plants in Dunmore, PA.  Good boy, Oliver!

 

 

 

Growing in a Colder Climate or Planting Early?

 

 

Early-Start Plant Protectors.  18" tall water-filled teepees to insulate your plants and soil against frost and cold temperatures. Start tomato plants and all your warm weather plants a month or more earlier than usual.

Growing Tips and Garden Products

         

    Our customer Diane Fagerberg's tomato plants in Fort Collins, Colorado after a late snow storm in early May. She heard the weather report and covered them with Plant Protectors and inverted Smart Pots. 19 inches of snow fell!

           The temperature dropped to 16º F and the water in the Plant Protectors froze solid for 3 days....oh no!

Surprise! Diane's plants were alive and healthy after the storm and produced a great crop of yummy tomatoes. Yay, Diane!

Aunt Ruby's German Green

 

Here's How to Order Plants!

  Order By Telephone or Email. Easy as 1, 2, 3.

Our Tomato Varieties and How to Order  Choose your plants and shipping period.

 

Growing Tips and Garden Products  Choose your fertilizers and garden products.

Questions?  Call Laurel:

 

 Monday-Friday from 10:00 to 5:00, Saturday 10:00 to 3:00, Pacific Time

 

We are in Los Angeles, California.

310 534-8611  (A landline, no texts.)

Or Email:  Tomatoplants@pacbell.net

Fax: 310 494 0518   FAX orders must include your credit card information.

Ordering for spring 2026 plants begins September 23rd and continues through June-July and into the fall for 2026 planting. 

Plants will be shipped when the weather is just right for planting in your town or earlier if you wish.  If ordering for extremely early shipping we can triple insulate your plants a so they do not freeze in transit.

Minimum order is 4 plants. Orders of 64 plants or more receive a volume discount.

We do not sell wholesale. We do not sell plugs.

Gift Certificates are available year round.

Our tomato plants are lovingly grown from seed, using careful 100% organic methods and shipped to you in their large 4" deep nursery pots.

 

 

           

                  

Do you live or work in Southern California?

We do not have a retail store.

 

However! You can call to reserve plants and arrange to pick them up on

Friday or Saturday by appointment only or on Sundays, no appointment necessary on Sunday.

 

No walk-ins -- Except during our Sunday Sales from 11:00 to 3:00!  Everybody welcome!

 

Please call me for information. 310 534 8611 (A landline, no texts.)

 

 

                    Black Krim

 

When Should You Plant?

 

First, check your region's average temperatures:

To find your average temperatures click here www.weather.com  or another weather site to explore the temperature graph for your city's month-by-month highs and lows, and determine your optimal planting time when the average low temps stay reliably above 50º. That is your best planting time.

About Frost Dates. Don't plant in cold soil!

 

Tomatoes are a hot weather crop. Hot...not "starting to warm up". You can usually plant safely about 2 to 3 weeks after your last predicted frost date. 

 

Many new gardeners want plant too early. It's exciting to get your plants in the ground.

 

Be sure the nighttime air temperature is reliably 48º to 50º or above and the soil is reliably warmed up to above 50º or your plants will go dormant and just sit there in the cold soil, staring at you and not growing until the weather warms up. This dormancy stage makes your plants very susceptible to disease and insect damage, delays fruit set and reduces yield.

 

However!  You can easily warm the soil for a few weeks before planting with clear plastic placed over the garden bed to absorb solar heat from the sun or use our Wall 'O' Water plant protectors and plant safely 3 weeks earlier than usual!

 

Be patient; wait until it's warmer. You'll be rewarded with robust happy tomato plants and a good harvest.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that night temperatures and soil temperatures should be steadily above 48º before planting tomatoes. 

 

About Blossom Drop During High Temperatures

 

Pollen becomes sterile at continual daytime temperatures higher than about 98º and nighttime temperatures above 72º, so don't expect fruit to set during those times. The plant knows that the pollen is not viable and drops the blossoms. When the weather settles down, the blossoms will stay on your plants and produce fruits.  We do have a few varieties that produce at higher temperatures.

Shipping Dates

Shipping is normally timed for when your nighttime temperatures stay reliably above 48º, or earlier if you desire.

 

We have Plant Protectors -- water filled 18" tall teepees -- which absorb solar heat during the day and release it gradually during the night to keep the air around your plants warm. This means you can plant a few weeks earlier than usual.

Click here:  Growing Tips and Garden Products for detailed information on planting.

 

Hey, Laurel! My Garden Center is selling plants in early February...it must be time to plant!

Yes, I know the local garden centers have plants for sale here in February. Why do they do this? Well, some folks have greenhouses. Most do not. You plant in bitterly cold soggy February soil and here come the wicked winds of March.

Of course the little plants don't make it in the cold weather or get diseased and die so you go back in April for more plants thinking you did something wrong.

You didn't. You were tempted. You caved. But that's tomato love. Try to control yourself and wait until it's steadily above 48º at night.

However, there is a solution. If you can't wait to plant, order our Early Season Wall O' Water Season Extenders and plant 4 to 6 weeks earlier than normal.  :)

Choose Your Shipping Time

We ship your plants during a 10 day period of your choice. For instance, if you choose the April 10th Period as your shipping period your plants will ship between April 10th and April 20th. Orders are shipped first in, first out.

 

We will help you choose the week when your climate is perfect for tomato planting. For example, if you order in January for your Minnesota garden, we ship your plants at the end of May. 

 

If you wish to experiment with growing in cooler temperatures we will ship them earlier with a disclaimer that they may freeze in transit and are not guaranteed to arrive alive.

 

Consultations

Do you need advice about planting tips, soil preparation, trellising, fertilizers, etcetera? I know how important it is to get good advice and I want to be able to continue offering expert advice about choosing plants and best growing technique for your area.

 

For all customers: when you place your order for 4 or more plants, I am happy to offer a basic 10 minute consultation at no charge whatsoever when we take your order and at times throughout your growing season.  

 

If you would like a consultation but do not plan to order, I am happy to work for you. My fee is $160.00 per hour or any part of an hour.

 

Specialized Consultation

 

For customers placing and order who need a specialized consultation by phone requiring dedicated, detailed research into your climate conditions and expert advice in creating a successful tomato garden in your particular climate, including soil conditioning, the best time to plant, season extenders, landscaping ideas, garden bed lay-out, detailed variety selection, customized fertilization techniques, disease and insect control or growing for market, etc., my fee is $160.00 per hour, minimum of one hour.

 

We do not do on-site consultation or landscaping.

    

         

     Contact Laurel         

Phone: 310-534-8611 (A landline, no texts.)

Fax: 310 494 0518

Hablamos Español

Telephone hours:

 

 Monday - Friday from 10:00 to 5:00, Pacific

 Saturday, 10:00 to 3:00

 

 

To Order By telephone, email or fax, see Here's How to Order above.

 

Email: Tomatoplants@pacbell.net  

 

 

 

Please, folks....

 

 

We do not have a retail store or walk-in hours.

 

(Except on Our Sunday Sale Days!)

 

We are open to the public on Sundays in March, April, May, June and July for plant

 

sales.

 

These dates and times will be announced on the Plant Sale page--or just call me to

 

find out the dates. 310 534 8611

(A landline, no texts.)